Trump dramatically cuts size of two national monuments held sacred by tribes

President Donald Trump has approved a drastic reduction in the size of two Utah national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, stripping nearly 1.5 million acres of federal protection from each. Trump asserted that the move returns land to the people, undoing designations he claimed were excessive and improperly established by prior presidents. The decision aims to open these lands, rich in coal and uranium deposits, to potential development by the oil and gas industry.

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They took the land from the people quite honestly. We're giving it back.

During an executive order signing, Trump told reporters, "They took the land from the people quite honestly. We're giving it back." He argued that the vast size of the monuments, some larger than the state of Delaware, did not align with the Antiquities Act's intent to protect the smallest possible area necessary for conservation.

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We believe that under the Antiquities Act, it’s very clear that these monument designations are supposed to be the smallest area possible to protect the antiquities, and these multimillion-acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation.

This action marks the second time Trump has shrunk these monuments; a similar move in 2017 was later reversed by the Biden administration. The Antiquities Act grants presidents the authority to designate and protect federal lands with significant historical, archaeological, or cultural value. Grand Staircase-Escalante was established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, and Bears Ears was designated by President Barack Obama in 2016.

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President Trump’s attack on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments is just as illegal today as it was in 2017. The Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to designate national monuments, not to destroy them.

Environmental advocates and Native American tribes, who consider the areas sacred and have long fought for their protection, strongly condemned Trump's decision. Earthjustice, an environmental law firm, declared the move "just as illegal today as it was in 2017" and pledged to pursue legal challenges. Heidi McIntosh, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain office, stated, "The Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to designate national monuments, not to destroy them." Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, described the decision as "heartbreaking" and accused federal officials of neglecting their legal duties to consult with tribal nations.

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Today’s proclamations are a slap to the face of public lands visitors across the country, as well as the local communities and tribes that have worked for years to protect these special places.